Monday, November 10, 2008

One of the most useful items you can have in your food storage program is beverages. There are also a number of instant products that have very good shelf life. If it becomes necessary to boil your water or add chemical purifiers, having beverage mixes handy will increase the flavor and taste of an otherwise bland drink. Here are some simple storage beverage items.

COFFEE

Ground Coffee has a shelf life of about 2 years when unopened and about 2 weeks when opened.

Instant Coffee has a shelf life of about 1 year unopened and about 2 to 3 weeks when opened.

Powdered Coffee Creamer has an approximate shelf life of 6 months.

TEA

Instant Tea has a shelf life of about 3 years.

Loose Tea has a shelf life of about 2 years.

Tea Bags have a shelf life of approximately 18 months.

MILK

Canned Milk has an approximate shelf life of 1 year.

Instant Nonfat Dry Milk has an approximate shelf life of 6 months in the pantry and up to a year in the freezer.

SODAS

Diet Sodas have a shelf life of about 3 months when unopened.

Regular Sodas have a shelf life of about 6 months when unopened.

DRINK MIXES

Country Time Lemonade, Crystal Light, and Kool Aid Drink Mixes, etc. have an approximate shelf life of 2 years.

POWDERED BABY FORMULA

Powder Baby Formula in cans is good for approximately one year after the expiration date. The reason they last longer is they are vacuum sealed in order to maintain freshness.Opened cans are good for approximately 4 weeks once opened and this time period can be extended to about 8 weeks if stored in the refrigerator.

RW, you are dead on that ground coffee is only good for about two weeks after it is opened.

Good news! I just completed a save-the-coffee experiment, and It worked!

I can only drink only one (large) cup of coffee a day. Yet in my preps I have a bunch of three pound cans of ground coffee. I discovered that I could only use a quarter (max) of a can before it turned sour.

I got the bright idea to repack the freshly opened ground coffee into small canning jars. Pack coffee in the jar tight (to get the air out) till it was slightly less than half an inch from the top of the jar, wipe the rim of the jar free of coffee grounds, and screw on a new lid.

Then I used my Pump and Seal ($20 online) and vacuum sealed the jar. Stored these in a cool dark closet till I needed one.

I just finished the last jar (10 weeks after repackaging it). It tasted fresh to the last cup!

I use that little Pump and Seal for a lot of my preps, but not ammo. It can suck the bullets right out of a cartridge.

The only thing you need to watch about juice is the acidity. Like tomato sauces and other items with a high acid content, the shelf life can be adversely affected by acid content. I rotate my juice stocks pretty frequently as a result. Thanks.

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Preppin' Tips - DIY

An expedient oxygen absorber for a 5 gallon storage container can be made by placing a golf ball size piece of steel wool and a tablespoon of salt inside a paper napkin and placing it in the container. The salt will absorb the residual moisture and the steel wool will naturally absorb the oxygen.

Preppin' Tips - Recipes

Make Your Own Electrolyte Beverage (Gatorade, Pedialyte, etc.)

To one quart of water add 1/2 teaspoon baking soda, 1 teaspoon of salt, and 8 teaspoons of granulated sugar. Thoroughly mix all ingredients together.

This will replace electrolytes lost by the body due to dehydration caused by diarrhea, vomiting, excessive sweating, etc. A package of Kool-Aid, Crystal Light, etc. may be added to enhance the flavor and color.

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